


wannabe rockstars and prima ballerinas

by thehearsesong



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: College AU, F/F, M/M, anyway this should be fun, they live in chicago bc it's convenient for the author, they're also studying at the college im going to next year bc it's convenient for the author, viktor in a band au, yuuri as a ballerina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-15 22:26:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9260555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehearsesong/pseuds/thehearsesong
Summary: au in which yuuri and viktor both attend columbia college in chicago. viktor is a music major and in a band and yuuri is a ballerina studying at the joffrey ballet academy as well as majoring in dance at columbia. they get paired up together for a project in class and viktor wants to be yuuri's friend, dammit but yuuri has crippling anxietybasically yuuri gets bullied into supporting vitya's band, there's some ballet, phichit is the ultimate wingman as usual, and there's fluff and college student hijinks





	1. awkward eye contact and overenthusiastic professors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which yuuri is anxious and celestino needs to stop

Yuuri fucking hated anxiety. Every time it was most inconvenient for him, his anxiety disorder decided that it was its time to shine. Performances, new classes, parties, hell, even family gatherings--you name the event, Yuuri couldn’t get through any unfamiliar situation without at least a mild panic attack.

His first day of new classes was no exception. His first class of the day was Creative Writing at 10 o’clock. Translation: his first class of the day was mostly stoners, slackers, music students, and anyone who had a job that took place mostly at night. Yuuri fell into the last category. He hadn’t gotten home from Joffrey Tower until late the night before, as he did almost every night, and there was no way he would have been able to get up for an earlier class.

Despite his sleepiness, Yuuri could feel his heartbeat increase and sweat bead across his body as he tried to find a seat as quickly as possible.

Yuuri ended up sitting in the front row, as far away as possible from the only two other people who had arrived so far.

In the back corner of the classroom were two boys, one of whom was chatting eagerly while the other stared at his phone and pretended to listen. They were out of Yuuri’s earshot, but he couldn’t help but be struck by them. The boy who was talking was delicately beautiful, with a head of shocking silver hair. He stood out in stark contrast to his friend, who was equally handsome, but had stronger, darker features.

Yuuri didn’t realize he was staring until the silver-haired boy suddenly looked up and made eye contact with him. Yuuri felt panic seize in his gut, and he swiftly ducked his head to hide his rapidly reddening face.

He only had to wait for a few more minutes until the classroom filled up and the professor arrived, but to Yuuri it felt like an eternity. His face wouldn’t stop burning, and the mild anxiety he felt to begin with only seemed to increase as he replayed the moment the silver-haired boy met his gaze. It was 10 minutes into the first day, and he had already made a complete stranger think he was a fucking creep. Great.

Fortunately, the professor stood up at the front of the room, yanking Yuuri out of his self-destructive reverie. He introduced himself as Professor Cialdini (“Although let’s be honest, you’ll all be calling me Celestino by next week anyway, so I might as well encourage you to start now”) and passed out syllabi.

Surprisingly, but thankfully, the workload didn’t look like it would be all that much over the course of the semester. Maybe that meant that Yuuri could actually get some sleep. _Yeah right, I’m taking 3 other classes._

However, Yuuri’s stomach dropped when he read the first assignment more carefully.

“Yes, you read that right,” Celestino announced cheerfully, “our very first assignment is a partner project. I figured it would be a good way to force you all to get to know each other without doing cheesy get-to-know-you games. Make no mistake though, I would do those if I could get away with them, but college students are way more feisty than grade schoolers.”

At the collective groan from the class, Celestino added, “Oh, and before I forget to mention it, I will be assigning you partners, since I want you to make new friends.”

“Ah, shit!” exclaimed a girl in the second row, “I think I somehow got stuck back in sophomore year of high school! What’s happening?”

Celestino laughed good naturedly, but said, “I already have the list written out, you’re not getting out of this after I spent fifteen extra minutes on it.”

“You spent fifteen minutes randomly pairing off students? Shouldn’t that have taken like 3 minutes?” asked the same girl from before.

Celestino just rolled his eyes, said, “I got distracted, okay? Come to the front when your name is called so you can move to sit by your partner,” and started reading off pairs of students.

A pit of dread was pooling in Yuuri’s stomach as he waited for his name to be called.

“Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov.”

Yuuri reluctantly made his way to the front of the classroom, stopping in his tracks when he realized who his partner was.

The silver-haired boy from earlier was standing expectantly next to Celestino. “You’re Yuuri, I presume,” he said with an accent that Yuuri had a hard time placing. Accents had to be very distinctive for Yuuri to pick up on them in English; he hadn’t lived in America long enough to be completely used to the sound of a native speaker.

“U-uh, yeah,” Yuuri managed to say, “You must be Viktor?” He hated that he sounded so timid, but Yuuri knew from experience that when he was this close to panicking that the only way he could speak was in either a whisper or a yell. For some reason, anxiety took away his volume control.

Viktor nodded and said, “I’ll go grab my shit and move it to the front by your seat.”


	2. handsome strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's some ballet, some dad!yuuri bc even in an au im a sucker for it, and viktor being viktor

Yuuri stretched his leg as far up on the barre as he could, reveling in the burn in his muscles. Ballet, despite being one of his biggest stressors, was also Yuuri’s most reliable way of relaxing.

He switched legs, giving himself a new vantage point from which to watch his fellow dancers warming up. He watched as the youngest student of Joffrey Academy, Yuri Plisetsky, lifted a leg up behind himself in a graceful _penché,_ reaching his slender arms towards the floor.

Remembering this morning’s mishap, Yuuri made sure to look away before the younger boy noticed him staring. He redirected his gaze towards the door just in time to see the Ballet Mistress, Madame Baranovskaya, enter the room.

Once sure she had everyone’s attention, she simply said, “To the barre, everyone.”

 

* * *

 

The class was grueling, as usual, but Yuuri lived for the burn in his calves. He had been drawn to ballet in the first place because he was acutely aware of his own body while dancing, but for one moment of his life, he could be completely unselfconscious about it.

Yuuri paused at the end of the bench where the other dancers were still putting away shoes and putting on coats. “Yuri,” he called.

Yuri Plisetsky looked up. “Oh, do you want to walk together again?”

Yuuri nodded and said, “Since we got out late, I don’t want to make you ride the L all alone.”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “I know I’m young, but I can take care of myself. You don’t have to treat me like your child.”

“I know,” Yuuri replied, “but I hate riding the L by myself, especially at night, and I don’t care how well you can take care of yourself, you’re still more likely to get mugged alone than with a friend.”

Yuri sighed, but walked out with Yuuri anyway.

Yuri lived on the Near North Side, which was a little bit out of Yuuri’s way, but he had a student-issue Ventra card and it wasn’t a very long ride, so he didn’t mind going with. They got off the train at the Dearborn stop and Yuuri walked Yuri the rest of the way to his apartment.

“G’night, Yuri,” said Yuuri, “See you in class on Wednesday.”

“Yeah,” Yuri replied, “And, uh, thanks for walking me home, I guess. Even if it is annoying and weirdly parental how you insist all the time.”

Yuuri laughed. “No problem.” _What a sweet kid._

 

* * *

 

Yuuri clung to a pole on the L on his way back to campus. Almost every seat was open, but he never trusted seats on public transportation.

The train stopped at the Lake Station, and Yuuri froze as a familiar face stepped on board.

“Yuuri?” Viktor exclaimed, “What a coincidence, seeing my new partner on a deserted train in the middle of the night.”

It was all Yuuri could do to force himself to speak. He was still embarrassed from that morning, and though he was loathe to admit it, he was a little intimidated by Viktor’s good looks and suave demeanor.

“Uh, yeah, coincidence… it’s only 10, though. Not really the middle of the night.”

Viktor laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. I, for one, know my night’s just getting started. You don’t seem like the type who rides night trains a lot, though.”

Yuuri shrugged. “I’m just on my way home.”

“Oh? Home from where?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri blushed a little. He wasn’t sure he was comfortable sharing information about himself with a classmate who was, effectively, still just a handsome stranger. He might have felt more comfortable if they had already worked on schoolwork together, or maybe if that was all they ever did together…

 _But then again_ , Yuuri reminded himself, _Celestino did want us to make friends. Besides, what’s he going to do with the knowledge that I’m a dancer? Go see a performance? That’s the goal of literally all performers._

Trying desperately to sound casual, Yuuri said, “I’m coming from ballet class at Joffrey Tower. I’m part of their pre-professional trainee program.”

Viktor looked impressed. “Damn, that sounds cutthroat. The Joffrey Ballet is like, super famous.”

Yuuri laughed. “Yeah, I was little intimidated when I first auditioned, but it’s a really cool experience, and the Ballet Mistress is amazing.”

“Ballet Mistress?”

“Yeah, she used to be a professional herself, but now she teaches classes at Joffrey and helps stage and choreograph productions and stuff like that.” Yuuri felt himself relaxing as he talked about such a familiar topic.

“Ah, gotcha,” Viktor paused for a moment. “My bandmate’s cousin is a dancer at Joffrey. Do you know her?”

“Uh, maybe,” Yuuri said, “what’s her name?”

“Mila Babicheva.”

“Oh, yeah, I know her. She’s in the trainee program, too,” said Yuuri. “So,” he continued, “you’re in a band?”

Viktor’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, we’re called Eros. I’m on lead vocals, and some other music majors are on instrumentals. I’m actually on my way to a gig right now, you should totally come!”

“Oh, um, I don’t know, it is actually kind of late, and I don’t know where it is or--”

“You’re coming,” Viktor insisted. “It’s at the Underground Wonder Bar. I will buy you a drink and get you a good seat, promise.”

Yuuri still wanted to protest, but he suddenly found it difficult to say no to Viktor’s enthusiasm, so he reluctantly agreed, but refused the drink offer.

Viktor grinned and threw an arm around Yuuri. “Hell yeah, man. You’re gonna look so fucking cool showing up with the hot lead singer.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “Two things wrong with that sentence. One: I have never heard of your band, and while I’m not very into rock, I still think it’s safe to say you’re pretty obscure. Two: I always preferred drummers.”

Viktor gasped, mock-offended. “How dare you--wait. You didn’t deny that I’m hot."  


Yuuri said something that sounded a little like, “I-well, um, ha, er, yea--um.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've started a glossary of ballet terms that i will be updating as i use terms in this fic. i just figured that people who don't have any ballet background and are too lazy to google deserve to know what's going on too: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b9rcf0kjfJesgYj3Md3quLP3dpLX02617ioBG8x-FRU/edit


	3. eros, playboys, and a dinner party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which yuuri is surprisingly calm and no one listens to otabek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is a little longer than the first two,, i'm starting to get into it i keep writing this when im not supposed to, like in the middle of choir... whoops. enjoy!!

Yuuri didn't know what to do with himself. He was sitting at a table much too front-and-center for his liking, and he could feel the familiar bubble of discomfort rising in his stomach.

Sweat was breaking out on his skin and the voices around him felt too loud. There were too many things going on, and Yuuri understood none of them. He was far from his safe ballet studio.

Viktor was busy setting up at the front of the dimly lit room with his band. Yuuri recognized the dark-haired boy holding a guitar (or maybe a bass?) as the one that Viktor had been initially been sitting with in class that morning.

Viktor saw Yuuri looking over and grinned. He waved and said something to the dark-haired boy, pointing at Yuuri as he did.

Yuuri felt himself blush as he feebly waved back. Not feeling able to muster a smile, he quickly looked away from Viktor and his four bandmates, who were now all looking curiously at him.

Just to have something to do with his hands, Yuuri fished his phone out of his pocket and composed a text to his roommate.

_ To: phichit-kun _

_ phichit-kun i’m in the underground wonder bar with the scary-hot dude from creative writing. he's in a band. i’m so scared??? how do you boy???? _

Phichit’s reply came within seconds.

_ From: phichit-kun _

_ YUURI OMG GET IT IM SO PROUD!! What did he say to get you to go OMG?!? Is his band any good (and do they need any videos filmed wink wink)??? What are you doing afterward??? _

Yuuri rolled his eyes fondly at his friend's enthusiasm.

_ To: phichit-kun _

_ he just didn't give me much of a choice tbh. and his band hasn't played yet but if they don't suck I'll ask if they want a video filmed lol you're so desperate ily. and PHICHIT-KUN I'M GOING HOME AFTERWARD WHAT DO YOU THINK JESUS _

_ From: phichit-kun _

_ Well, I certainly didn't think you were going to do Jesus. But use protection, I guess. _

Yuuri laughed, despite himself. He was glad Phichit wasn't there in person to hear it.

_ To: phichit-kun _

_ smh you are no help i’m still terrified but i gtg they're about to start playing i'll see you later _

Viktor glanced back at his bandmates as the pretty girl on drums counted off.

Yuuri didn't know what to expect when Viktor started singing, and he certainly didn't expect his voice to be so soft and smooth. The song was upbeat, but the way Viktor sang lent it a sort of intimacy.

Yuuri listened to the story in the lyrics. Viktor sang of a playboy moving to an unfamiliar city and conquering hearts left and right. He bewitches the most beautiful woman in town and leaves without a trace.

Yuuri didn't think it was a particularly romantic song, but it felt like it was when it was sung in Viktor’s pure, mildly-accented tone.

Viktor scanned the audience, pausing an extra moment as his eyes met Yuuri’s.

Yuuri felt a jolt in his stomach, but it felt different than his anxiety from earlier.

Eros played a few more songs, and Yuuri found himself liking each one more than the last. His favorite, he decided, was the first song, though.

A breathless Viktor sat next to Yuuri, tossing an arm familiarly around his shoulders.

“What did you think?” he asked.

“I thought it was amazing,” Yuuri replied. “I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect, but shit, you guys are really good.”

Viktor’s grin grew impossibly wider.

“I'm so glad you liked it!” He didn't look away from Yuuri as four of his bandmates settled into the remaining seats at the table.

“So you're Yuuri,” said the boy from Creative Writing. “Thanks for coming. Viktor hasn't shut up about you all day.”

Yuuri glanced at Viktor, who just shrugged and laughed. “Guilty.”

“Oh, don't mind Georgi,” said the drummer. “He's just jealous that Viktor was partnered with a cute boy and he's still aggressively single and lonely. We’re all he has.”

Georgi reached over to lightly hit her on the back of the head, but she dodged him easily with a giggle.

A severely handsome boy who had been silent thus far spoke up.

“She’s Sara, by the way. I’m Otabek, that’s Georgi, as you probably heard, and our annoying but brilliant guitarist is J.J. I’m assuming he's off canoodling with his girlfriend.”

Sure enough, Yuuri could see the guitarist from earlier laughing loudly with his arm around a pretty girl.

Sara rolled her eyes. “Honestly, they're disgustingly perfect for each other.”

Georgi laughed. “That's only true because she's the only one who will put up with him for more than 10 minutes at a time.”

“We put up with him more than that,” Otabek pointed out, only to be dismissed by his friends.

“Anyway,” said Sara, “are we getting out of here? It’s a little crowded for my taste.”

“Only because your taste is dives filled with creepy alcoholic old men,” muttered Georgi.

“Oh fuck off, you know you hate crowds, too.”

“Damn, you kiss your brother with that mouth?” At this, Sara just rolled her eyes and fondly shoved Georgi. He shoved her back.

“Are you done?” Viktor asked. “It’s not polite to argue in front of guests,” he said, nodding to Yuuri.

Sara rolled her eyes again. “It’s a bar, Vitya, not a fucking dinner party.”

Viktor laughed. “Will turning it into a dinner party make you stop? Because I am more than willing to bring you all back to my apartment.”

“Does that include me and Isabella? I hope so, I haven’t seen Makkachin in forever. I miss her,” said J.J., appearing over Otabek’s shoulder.

“Of course,” said Viktor, “and I guess that means we really are going. Behave, Sara, Georgi.” He gave them both a pointed glance.

“Of course,” Sara said innocently, earning a snicker from Georgi.

Yuuri and Viktor were the last two remaining at the table. Standing, Viktor offered his hand to Yuuri. Fighting a blush, Yuuri took it.

_ Shit, what does this mean? No one else is holding hands. Maybe he just wants to make sure I come with?? Yeah, that must be it, he can probably tell I’m unsure and he wants to make sure I feel welcome. Honestly, that’s so nice of him. I’m glad I came. _

Hand in hand with Viktor, Yuuri followed his newfound friends out into the Chicago night, heading for unfamiliar territory. For once, he wasn’t even thinking about panicking.


	4. hearts of glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which viktor "extra" nikiforov is the only college student in the country to own actual real wine glasses (feat. The Return of Yuuri's Anxiety)

Viktor lived in an apartment on Dearborn that was even farther north than Yuri Plisetsky’s place. His reason for living so far off campus was quickly revealed to Yuuri when the group was greeted by a very excited brown poodle who would definitely not have been allowed in Columbia dorms. She was seemingly trying to knock them all over in a game of human bowling.

“Makkachin!” J.J. exclaimed, procuring a rope toy which he threw down the hallway. Makkachin bolted after it.

“Well, that’s the last we’ll see of him tonight,” Isabella said fondly, earning a laugh from the rest of the group. 

Any lingering anxiety Yuuri had been holding on to had all but vanished at this point. He felt as if he had been invited into a family gathering, and with Viktor’s hand in his, he could almost convince himself he belonged.

The group settled at Viktor’s kitchen table. 

“Can I interest anyone in Pinot Noir?” Viktor asked, receiving nods from everyone except Yuuri.

“May I just have some water, please?” Yuuri asked. “I have rehearsal tomorrow and I really shouldn’t…”

“Yeah, of course,” Viktor said. “I’m still going to put it in a wine glass, though. I don’t want you feeling left out.” He shot Yuuri a wink before taking 6 wine glasses from a cabinet.

At this, Sara exchanged a knowing glance with Georgi before leaning towards Yuuri and saying, “You said you have rehearsal. What are you rehearsing?”

“Oh, um,” Yuuri stammered, “I’m a dancer.”

“Shit, Yuuri, don’t sell yourself short,” said Viktor, setting glasses in front of his friends as he reclaimed his seat next to Yuuri. Turning to Sara and Georgi, he said, “Yuuri is an excellent ballet dancer. He dances with the Joffrey Ballet.”

Sara and Georgi looked more impressed than Yuuri felt comfortable with. “I’m just part of their trainee program,” he said, “I’m not actually part of the company.”

Georgi said, “Like the pre-professional program? My cousin Mila is part of that, and I went to the trainee performance last spring, it was amazing. You must be really good.”

Yuuri blushed an impossibly deeper scarlet. “I mean, I guess I was good enough to get in…”

“Damn, we gotta build up your confidence if we’re going to be friends with you,” said Sara. “I don’t hang out with wimps.”

Yuuri looked up at her, alarmed. “You don’t have to--”

“She’s joking, Yuuri,” VIktor said gently. He shot Sara a glance. “Be nice to Yuuri, he’s delicate. Don’t you know that dancers’ hearts are like glass?”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Just because you think he’s cute doesn’t mean you need to make up some bullshit about dancers’ hearts.”

Viktor laughed. “I’m not making up any bullshit. I’m just telling you what I see.”

Otabek spoke up for the first time since they had arrived simply to say, “Shut up. You both spout bullshit constantly.” 

Yuuri didn’t know what reaction he expected, but he was surprised by the sudden laughter that came from Viktor, Sara, and Georgi. He couldn’t help but smile a little bit himself.

Isabella leaned in towards Yuuri and said confidentially, “They’re a little loud at first, but once you spend enough time with them, you forget why you ever liked the quiet.”

Yuuri blinked.  _ Why do these people all speak in metaphors? Typical music students… _

Suddenly, Yuuri remembered something.

“Oh, um,” he began, “so my friend Phichit is a cinematography major--”

“Does he do music videos?” Georgi asked before Yuuri could finish.

“Actually, he wanted me to ask if you needed any shot,” Yuuri said with a laugh.

“Perfect timing,” Sara said. “We’ve been looking for someone to shoot a video for  _ Stay Close to Me _ for weeks now with no luck.”

“Would you mind giving us his information?” Viktor asked.

“Not at all,” Yuuri replied. Viktor handed Yuuri his phone and Yuuri entered Phichit’s phone number.

“You can add yours too, while you’re at it,” Viktor murmured in Yuuri’s ear. He could barely suppress a shiver from the close contact. He obliged and handed Viktor’s phone back to him.

When Yuuri lifted his head again, crimson-faced as always, he noticed Georgi and Sara both looking strangely at him and Viktor. Isabella was smiling dreamily.

“Oh shit!” Yuuri suddenly exclaimed. “I didn’t realize how late it was, I really have to go.”

He stood up to leave, and Viktor followed him to the door. “Let me walk you home.”

“Oh, really, no it’s okay,” Yuuri managed to say. “It really is late and it’s kind of far back to campus and I can do it you don’t need to leave your friends--”

“Okay,” Viktor smoothly interrupted. “I get it. I’ll see you Thursday in class, I guess.”

“Y-yeah. Thank you for inviting me.”

“No problem,” Viktor said absently. His eyes weren’t warm like they were when he took Yuuri’s hand at the bar. Yuuri wondered what he did wrong.

“I’ll call you?” It came out as more of a question than a statement, and Yuuri decided Sara was right. He did need to build his confidence. 

“Yeah,” Viktor said before closing the door behind Yuuri.

Staring at the wood grain, Yuuri felt the bubble of happiness in his stomach pop and reveal the pit of dread it had been hiding for the past few hours.


	5. little brother figure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they film a video, viktor is too damn cheerful, and yuri is having none of it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll be honest, this chapter took me forever to write, for whatever reason. so tbh it's not necessarily my best work, but it's basically a bridge to get to the next chapter which i'm really excited to start working on. so soz but hope you enjoy anyway bc there's some fun stuff in here
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO this fic now has over 1000 hits and 100 kudos??? wtf??? thank u so much to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story it means so much i get so excited whenever i get an email from ao3 it's crazy ily

_ From: phichit-kun _

_ Hey Yuuri when did you say you were going to be home again? _

Yuuri hesitated before answering. He ordinarily didn’t mind telling Phichit when he’d be home, but today he knew that his roommate had an ulterior motive.

Today was the day Phichit had agreed to film a music video for Eros. He had grand plans for the video, including wanting Yuuri to dance, which Yuuri himself was vehemently opposed to. Resignedly, he typed out an honest reply.

_ To: phichit-kun _

_ I’ll be back in about 15 minutes _

“Who are you texting?”

Yuuri whipped around to see Yuri Plisetsky on his toes trying in vain to read over Yuuri’s shoulder.

“My roommate. He wanted to know when I’ll be home,” Yuuri replied.

Yuri raised a delicate eyebrow. “Did you have plans or something?”

“Um, well, sort of,” Yuuri said. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have any plans, but it was never up to him, was it?

“Actually,” he added, “would you like to come with me? He wants to film me dancing, and it might be better if there were two of us.”

“Wait, really?” Yuri asked. “He’s a cinematography major, right? Is he going to make some cool film with ballet in it?” 

Yuuri couldn’t help but be endeared by the way the younger boy’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah, basically,” Yuuri said. “He’s going to set it to music and he was talking about something with lights and colors that I didn’t really understand.”

Yuri grinned. “I’m so in.”

 

* * *

Any hesitation Yuuri had about coming subsided when he saw Viktor’s eyes light up at their arrival. At his arrival, really.

Not bothering to tear his eyes away from Yuuri, Viktor said, “Thank you so much for coming. I’m excited to see what you’ll do, Phichit.”

Phichit grinned and started to set up some lights on the wooden floor of the university’s room Eros had booked to film in. “It’s no problem, man. I’m glad I can be of service.”

“Do you need some help,” Otabek asked as Phichit struggled with a huge softbox.

“Actually, yeah, if you don’t mind,” Phichit replied. “Yuuri, while we set up, you and little Yuri can work with VIktor to put together some choreography.”

“Really, I’m ‘Little Yuri’?” Yuri protested. “I’m only like 3 years younger than you, and you shouldn’t be calling someone who could totally kick your ass ‘little’.”

Phichit laughed. “We can test that theory later, little buddy. For now, go let your dad teach you some dance.”

Yuri opened his mouth as if to argue more, but Yuuri grabbed him by the shoulder and led him out into the hallway, Viktor trailing close behind.

“You’re not my fucking dad,” Yuri couldn’t help but mutter as they left the room.

Viktor laughed. “You do seem like a little brother figure, though. It’s cute that you have the same name.”

Yuri glowered up at him. “Who even are you?”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce everyone. I’m Viktor Nikiforov, I’m the lead singer of Eros.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re the guy that Yuuri wants to--”

“Okay!” Yuuri interrupted quickly. “Now that we all know each other, let’s do some ballet, how about that?”

Viktor gave him a sidelong glance. “Sure. You listened to the song, right?” 

Yuuri nodded. “At first I wasn’t sure how ballet would fit into a rock video, but when I heard the song I actually had a few ideas. How about if I go through my initial choreography with Yuri, and then you make notes of things you want to change or add. Would that work?”

Viktor grinned. “That sounds perfect.”

 

* * *

Having never been on shoot for a music video before, Yuuri wasn’t sure what to expect for the actual filming.

His role was less difficult than he thought it would be. He and Yuri simply performed their dance, and Phichit took care of all the lighting and camera angles.

They ended up with three takes of the dance before it was time to film the band’s portion of the video.

“You guys don’t really have to stay for this part, but you can if you want, for like, moral support or whatever,” Phichit told Yuuri and Yuri.

The two exchanged a look before shrugging and sitting along the wall behind Phichit.

Viktor made eye contact with Yuuri and winked. 

The band’s part of the video mostly consisted of them miming playing the song, but Phichit said he had something else planned.

After a few takes of miming (“Just to be on the safe side,” according to Phichit), Phichit set up a table and chairs on one side of the room.

“I’m planning on splicing in shots of you guys sitting around a table just hanging out. I have some soda,” he said, procuring a case of Coke from one of his equipment bags, “so try to just be as natural as possible.”

“Should Yuri and Yuuri be in these, too?” Sara asked.

“Oh, yeah that would be cool,” Phichit replied.

Taking their places at the table, Viktor made sure to sit next to Yuuri. Leaning in, he murmured, “I’m glad you stayed, I want to talk to you later.”

Yuuri shot him a quizzical glance, but Viktor was already deep in conversation with Georgi, laughing at a joke he made about a punk band Yuuri had never heard of.


	6. a final performance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which yuuri and viktor #bond and phichit is a little shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully most of the forthcoming chapters will be about this length since i'm no longer suffering through exposition lol, but no promises. as always: thank you and enjoy!

Yuuri was drilling choreography in his head when he realized Viktor was staring at him. He had been lost in thought anticipating the Joffrey student performance that was in just two weeks, but now he felt a little guilty that he had been ignoring his project partner.

Although admittedly, Viktor didn’t appear to mind. Viktor’s chin rested on his hands and his elbows rested on the well-worn wood of the library table as his eyes lazily wandered over Yuuri’s face.

“Um,” said Yuuri sheepishly, glancing up at Viktor, “we should probably get some actual work done.”

Viktor laughed softly. “Yeah, I suppose we should. You have any ideas?”

“Well,” said Yuuri, “my first thought for a short story is to write about ballet. It’s what I know best, you know?”

Viktor nodded. “I don’t know anything about ballet at all, but you can handle that part and I can just write stuff about characterization and stuff. Would that work?”

“Sure. We can start by alternating paragraphs and then make it more coherent when we edit.”

They spent a few hours trading Yuuri’s laptop back and forth across the table. They weren’t quite finished when Viktor spoke up.

“So, Yuuri… I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

Yuuri met his gaze from over the computer screen. “Shoot.”

“So, um,” Viktor began, “my band, Eros--you know them--we’re going on tour over the summer and Georgi and Sara thought it might be a good idea for you and Phichit and Yuri to come along and maybe be part of the show. It’s be unique, y’know? More likely to get us noticed. I mean, obviously if you can’t then I get it, but it might be cool…”

Yuuri blinked. He had never heard Viktor sound so unsure before. “I’d love to,” he said. _My family won’t mind me coming home a few months late, right?_

Viktor grinned. “Good, good. Of course you’ll all get paid for it. We just split the profits we make from the ticket sales, which honestly isn’t much, but it’s something. And it’s just in the midwest, so it won’t be too much travelling and you’ll probably only dance for a few songs, but anyway it should be fun.”

Yuuri smiled back. “Yeah, I can’t wait.”

Viktor couldn’t help the small smile that lingered on his face for the rest of their time in the library.

 

* * *

 

The past two weeks had been a blur for Yuuri. His memory felt like a montage of schoolwork, ballet, and a few evenings with Viktor.

Now, standing backstage listening to Yuri and Mila arguing about something arbitrary, he felt a little sick. Everything was happening so quickly. By the end of the night, he would no longer be a member of the Joffrey ballet’s trainee program. He had a year left at Columbia, but then he had to try and find a real job as a ballet dancer. The thought terrified him.

Yuuri tried to focus on Yuri and Mila to distract himself, but he couldn’t. Instead, he ran through the choreography in his head once more.

_Soutenu, followed by a petit jeté and a tour jeté…_

“Yuuri, are you okay?” Yuuri roused from his reverie to see Mila’s concerned face. “We’re about to start,” she said.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Yuuri said. “I’m good. We should get in position.”

Mila didn’t look completely convinced, but she left the two boys for her position on the opposite side of the stage.

The performance went more flawlessly than Yuuri thought it would, even considering the immense talent of the dancers. By the end, he was exhausted, but filled with emotions as he hugged his fellow dancers and accepted the flowers Phichit had brought him.

“How does it feel to finally be done?” Phichit asked.

“Terrifying,” Yuuri replied honestly.

“Oh please,” came a voice from behind Yuuri, “you don’t have to worry about finding any work. You were amazing Yuuri.”

Yuuri whirled around. Viktor stood behind him, grinning. He wore a worn out leather jacket open over a Dead Kennedys t-shirt, and looked utterly out of place among the other ballet goers. Yuuri couldn’t help but think he looked beautiful.

Yuuri shook his head a little to clear it.

_Come on Katsuki, don’t go chasing after boys that are that much cooler than you. Even if he did show up to my performance without me asking him--wait no shut up!_

“Viktor,” he said. “I mean, thank you. And thank you for coming.”

“No problem,” Viktor replied past his crooked smile. “It was awesome. Ballet dancers are badass.” He turned to Phichit. “You saw the shit they did, right? How do people move like that? I don’t get it but I really like it.”

Phichit laughed. “Yeah, Yuuri’s pretty bendy. You should see the weird positions he can get himself into.”

Yuuri glared at Phichit meaningfully. “It just takes a lot of practice, I guess,” he said with a forced laugh.

Viktor winked at him. Yuuri felt himself turn bright red and simultaneously wished he could crawl under one of the auditorium seats without just embarrassing himself more.

“So, Yuuri,” Viktor said, “what are you doing after this?”

“Oh, um,” Yuuri stuttered, “I guess I was just going to go home and get some sleep…”

“Are you up for going somewhere?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri glanced over at Phichit only to find that he was now in conversation with Yuri, Mila, and Georgi, who had apparently come with Viktor.

“I guess I would like to do something, as long as we don’t stay out too late.”

Viktor grinned. “Awesome.” He turned to the others and said, “Yuuri and I are going to paint the town red, we’ll catch you guys later.”

“Have fun, kids,” Phichit said. Yuuri rolled his eyes and grabbed Viktor’s arm to lead him out of the theater.

“Stay safe,” Georgi called after them, earning a high five and a shared laugh from Phichit.

 

* * *

 

Viktor was staring at Yuuri over a cheap cup of coffee with a soft look in his eyes.

“Yuuri, can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Yuuri said.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

Yuuri blinked. _This is it, I’m fucking done for. I have to say no and then he’s either going to ask me out, causing me to spontaneously combust, or he’s going to tell me about his girlfriend or whatever, and I’m going to die._

“No,” he said out loud. “I actually never really have. I’m always busy with ballet and school and stuff. And it doesn’t help that I’m Japanese. I know my family would be okay with me being gay, but not everyone at home would, you know?”

“Oh, you’re gay?” Viktor asked. Yuuri felt a jolt of anxiety in his stomach, but he managed a nod.

“Me too,” Viktor said, and Yuuri felt himself relax. _Jesus Christ, Katsuki, get ahold of yourself, it’s just a boy. A very pretty boy, but just a fucking boy._

“And I know exactly what you mean,” Viktor added with a rueful laugh. “I’m Russian. I don’t even want to know what the reaction would be if I tried to come out at home.”

“Oh, so that’s what your accent is. I had trouble placing it, since I’m still not completely used to speaking English all the time,” Yuuri said.

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure about yours, either,” Viktor admitted. “Anyway, what’s Japan like? Other than mild homophobia, I mean.”

Yuuri laughed. “Well, my family owns an inn in a town called Hasetsu. We’re famous for our hot springs. Oh, and not to brag, but our food is amazing. My mom makes this dish called _katsudon,_ which is basically a pork cutlet bowl with noodles and stuff. It’s amazing oh my god I miss it.”

“That sounds nice,” Viktor said dreamily, “I’ve always wanted to go to Japan. We have pretty good food in Russia, though, too. Like _piroshki_ and _borscht._ Good stuff. There’s actually a restaurant in North Center that has pretty good Russian food. I’ll have to take you there sometime.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri murmured. “That’d be nice.”

Viktor looked at Yuuri through his fine lashes. “Do you wanna go for a walk?”

“A walk?” Yuuri asked. “Uh, I guess. Sure. Yeah, that sounds good.”

Viktor smiled at Yuuri’s floundering and took his hand to lead him out of the coffee shop.

Hand in hand, they walked along Lake Michigan, watching the sun slowly set in brilliant oranges and pinks.

“I miss the ocean sometimes,” Viktor said in a hushed voice. Yuuri could feel his breath on his cheek. “The lake is beautiful, but it’s not quite the same.”

“Yeah, me too,” Yuuri whispered. “I like the seagulls, though. They remind me of home.”

Viktor nodded. He dropped Yuuri’s hand and turned to face him.

“Yuuri,” he said, “I’m glad you came with me here. I know you get nervous a lot; I may have talked to Phichit--”

“He didn’t even tell me? Fucker…” Yuuri interrupted.

Viktor laughed. “Sorry, man. I’ll help you yell at him. What a terrible friend.” He took an audible breath. “Anyway, I know I might come on a little strong sometimes, but I’m glad you feel comfortable around me.”

“Usually,” Yuuri admitted. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

“It’s the least I could do.”

The sun had set at this point, the only evidence it had ever been there was a faint orange glow on the horizon.


	7. sweaty but beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> short but #spicy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i havent updated in forever my depression decided it hated me for a while, so here's what i could manage lol  
> hope u enjoy and thanks for the support on my previous chapters!!

"You actually agreed to go?" Mila asked incredulously from across the cafe table.

Yuuri nodded sheepishly.

"Stop thinking with your penis, Katsuki!" she exclaimed, far too loudly for Yuuri's liking.

"Shut up," Yuri said. "He's not the only one who agreed. And besides, you saw Viktor. I'd stay in America for three extra months for him too."

"You are," Mila pointed out.

"Oh, I'm not staying for Viktor," Yuri assured her.

"Who are you staying for, then?" asked Yuuri. "It's me, isn't it? Hate to tell ya, kid, but I think I'm too old for you." He chuckled at his own joke.

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, asshole." He paused for a moment before perking up again. "Oh! I just remembered something. Mila, do you want to go too?"

Mila blinked. "On the tour?" Yuri nodded, earning a curious glance from Yuuri.

"I talked to Sara, Otabek, and Georgi, and they all said they could use another dancer," Yuri explained.

"Sara said that?" Mila asked. "I mean, if they want me to go, I'll go."

Yuuri smiled knowingly. "Stop thinking with your genitals, Babicheva."

Mila glared at him fondly.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri was sweating far more than he'd like to be in the presence of a boy he had a crush on. Ideally, he wouldn't be sweating at all, but that wasn't really realistic. He would have settled for simply less than he was currently sweating. That didn't seem likely to happen.

In his defense, Yuuri had just spent several hours dancing in a packed concert venue. But still, he wished the night air had just a slightly stronger breeze.

Viktor glanced at him sidelong from where he leaned against the grimy wall in the alley. "What are you thinking about?"

Yuuri decided to be honest. "I'm paranoid about how much I'm sweating."

Viktor laughed. "We have 15 more shows to go. I think you'll get used to it."

"I think I'd rather just be clean and dry."

Viktor grinned crookedly. "That would be nice, I guess, but I don't know. Something about you like this is beautiful."

Yuuri flushed. "I, uh, thank you? I guess?"

"You're welcome, I guess."

They stood in silence for a few moments, the only sound coming from Viktor as he took a drag on his cigarette.

"Are you going to miss Chicago, do you think?" asked Yuuri.

Viktor pondered for a moment. "Yes," he finally answered. "It's a beautiful city, and I've met some beautiful people here. But I do miss St. Petersburg."

"I feel the same way, I think," Yuuri murmured. "I miss Hasetsu. But I'll miss Chicago, too."

"Are you going to move back to Japan after you finish school?"

"I'm not sure," Yuuri admitted. "I don't know how I would find a job as a professional ballet dancer there. I think I'm better off staying here or even going to New York."

"I think I might stay here, too," Viktor said. "Russia is a hard place to be a beautiful gay rock star."

"Really?" Yuuri asked.

"Okay, probably not that hard. I don't that would be hard anywhere," he chuckled, "but I think it'll be easier to gain an American following first."

Yuuri nodded. "That makes sense. At least I know I won't be alone in staying here." Yuuri turned slightly to face Viktor.

"We're in it together, I guess," Viktor whispered. Yuuri could feel his breath on his cheek. At some point, Viktor had shifted so that his face was mere inches away from Yuuri's.

"Together," Yuuri repeated breathlessly.

Viktor's lips were perhaps the softest thing Yuuri had ever felt. His delicate hand reached up to cup Yuuri's face as he tentatively deepened the kiss. Yuuri responded eagerly, resting his hands on Viktor's waist and pulling him closer.

The two stayed wrapped in an embrace even as Viktor reluctantly pulled away.

"We should go," Viktor murmured, his lips brushing Yuuri's ear. "People will talk."

"And they aren't already? Besides, it's not like they don't have a reason to."

Viktor laughed softly. "You're right, but we should still go. We can always do that more later."

"I am definitely holding you to that," Yuuri said, eliciting a peal of laughter from Viktor that echoed through the alley.

Reaching for Yuuri's hand, Viktor stomped out his long since dropped cigarette and led Yuuri back inside the stage door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im rly bad at writing kisses i may have to write a few mini fics to practice *wink wink*


End file.
